Portable E-wallet and universal card

ABSTRACT

Universal cards are used in place of all the other traditional cards which a person may want to carry. The universal card can include a short range communications transceiver to communicate with a mobile device. The mobile device can include a user interface and an e-wallet application so that the user can interface with the e-wallet application for programming the universal card via the short range communication link. Once programmed, the universal card emulates a function of a traditional card.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/715,977 filed Mar. 2, 2010. The content of which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matters relates to universal cards,mobile applications, and mobile devices such as mobile phones, PersonalDigital Assistants (PDAs), iPods, tablet computers, laptop computers,and similar mobile devices. More particularly, the subject matterrelates to a universal card which can be used at any type of terminalequipped with a magnetic stripe reader or a short range wirelesscommunication capability.

BACKGROUND

People carry many types of cards with them every day. The cards includecredit cards, debit cards, drivers' licenses, transportation passes,building access cards, and many other types of cards. These cards aretypically carried in a wallet or purse. A person may need to use anynumber of cards during the course of a day. Since people do not knowwhich of the cards will be needed on any given day, most people carryall the cards that they may need with them every day. With theproliferation of card-capable terminals, people can end up carrying aninordinate amount of cards with them every day.

Many people also carry mobile devices with them, such as cell phones,PDAs, tablet computers, laptop computers, and many other types of mobiledevices. Mobile devices increasingly have short range communicationcapabilities, such as near field communication (NFC) capabilities orBluetooth capabilities.

A person that carries a wallet or purse also has to secure the contentsof the wallet or purse at all times to protect against theft and fraud.If a card is lost or stolen, it can be used in unauthorized ways,leading to identification theft, fraud, or financial loss. In addition,as many transactions are increasingly performed without the need forphysically possessing the card (e.g., online purchases), the mereexposure of the information found on a card to an unauthorized person isa risk to the card holder.

There is a need to reduce the number of cards carried by a person, andan opportunity to address that need using the short range communicationcapabilities of a mobile device which that person carries. In addition,there is a need to secure cards and card information so that cards andcard information is not exposed to unauthorized people.

SUMMARY

To reduce the number of cards carried by a person, a universal card andshort range communication enabled mobile device can be used in place ofall the other cards which the person may want to carry. The universalcard can include a short range communications transceiver to communicatewith a mobile device. The mobile device can include a user interface andan e-wallet application so that the user can interface with the e-walletapplication for programming the universal card via the short rangecommunication link. Once programmed, the universal card emulates afunction of a traditional card, such as emulating the magnetic stripe ofthe traditional card, the NFC communication of the traditional card, theradio transmission of the traditional card, or any other function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing Summary, as well as the following Detailed Description, isbetter understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.In order to illustrate the present disclosure, various aspects of thedisclosure are shown. However, the disclosure is not limited to thespecific aspects shown. The following figures are included:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system including a mobile device and auniversal card.

FIG. 2 depicts a traditional card with a static magnetic stripe.

FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart process for programming a universal card.

FIG. 4 depicts interactions between a mobile device and a universalcard, and between a universal card and three different types ofterminals.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary system including a personal computer, amobile device, and a universal card.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart process for managing universal card datausing a mobile device.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart process for managing universal card datausing a personal computer.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D depict possible designs for the front of auniversal card.

FIG. 9 depicts a possible design for the back of a universal card.

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict an embodiment of a universal card with anintegrated circuit.

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict an embodiment of a universal card with a secureelement.

FIGS. 12A and 12B depict an embodiment of a universal card with anintegrated circuit and a secure element.

FIG. 13 depicts an embodiment of a universal card with a powerindicator.

FIG. 14 depicts an embodiment of a universal card with an activationswitch.

FIGS. 15A and 15B depict ways to add traditional card data to a secureelement of a universal card.

FIG. 15C depicts a way to add traditional card data to a secure elementof a mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary system is depicted with a mobiledevice 100 and a universal card 110. The mobile device 100 can be anynumber of devices, including a cell phone, a PDA, an iPod, a tabletcomputer, an NFC-specialized device, or any other type of mobile device.An NFC-specialized device is a device that provides for the user to beable to communicate with NFC terminals, such as making a contactlesspayment, and would also provide a user with a user interface forinteracting with an NFC-enabled universal card. The mobile device 100may include any number of components, such as a processor 101, memory102, a power source 103, a user interface 104, and a short rangetransceiver 106. Memory 102 can be any type of computer storage media inthe form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory(ROM) and random access memory (RAM). Processor 101 can operate on dataand/or software applications available in the memory 102. The userinterface 104 can include any components for user input, such as akeyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch screen display, or any similarcomponent. The user interface 104 can also include security features onthe mobile device, such as a PIN/password login, a fingerprint scanner,other biometric readers, or similar security features.

The mobile device 100 also includes an e-wallet application 105 which isexecutable by the processor 101. The e-wallet application 105 can bepre-installed on the mobile device 100 by the manufacturer of the mobiledevice 100. The e-wallet application 105 can also be installed by theuser either by downloading it directly to the mobile device 100, bydownloading the e-wallet application 105 over-the-air via a wirelessdata connection, or by inserting a memory card containing the e-walletapplication 105.

The e-wallet application 105 allows the user to input information abouttraditional cards for storage in the memory 102. Information abouttraditional cards can include an account name, an account number, anexpiration date, a card verification value 2 (CVV2), the image of thetraditional card, the information which would be stored on the magneticstripe of the traditional card, and any other information necessary toemulate the card. The information about traditional cards can also bestored in a remote location, such as a trusted service manager (notshown), which stores the information and provides the information to themobile device 100 on demand via wireless data communication. In thiscase, the e-wallet application 105 would interface with the remotelocation to request and receive the information.

The e-wallet application 105 can also be used to program the universalcard 110 by allowing the user to select a traditional card for theuniversal card to emulate. The universal card 110 can be configured toemulate any number of traditional cards, including credit cards, debitcards, drivers' licenses, transportation passes, building access cards,and any other types of cards. Once the user selects a card foremulation, the e-wallet application 105 causes the mobile device tocommunicate with the universal card and to transmit the informationnecessary for the universal card to emulate the selected traditionalcard.

In another universal card embodiment, the information about thetraditional card could be stored in the memory 115 of the universal card110. In this embodiment, if the universal card 110 has a user interfacewith sufficient capabilities, the user may be able to program the cardby using the user interface on the universal card 110.

The short range transceiver 106 can be configured to communicate via anytype of short range communication link, such as an NFC communicationlink or a Bluetooth communication link. The mobile device 100 may bemanufactured with the short range transceiver 106. However, not allmobile devices are initially manufactured with short range transceivers.The short range transceiver 106 may be located on a memory cardcompatible with a memory slot of the mobile device 100. In thissituation, the memory card with the short range transceiver 106 isinserted into the memory slot (not shown) of the mobile device 100 suchthat the mobile device can transmit and receive information using ashort range communication link corresponding to the short rangetransceiver 106.

Another issue with the short range transceiver 106 may arise if theshort range transceiver 106 of the mobile device and the short rangetransceiver 116 of the universal card 110 are not configured for thesame type of short range communication. For example, mobile device 100may have a Bluetooth transceiver, and the universal card 110 may have anNFC transceiver. In such a situation, the short range transceiver 106would be a two-type transceiver, capable of communicating via both typesof short range communication. In the example above, the short rangetransceiver 106 would be capable of receiving information via theBluetooth link from the mobile device 100, and also capable of sendingthat information via the NFC link to the universal card 110. The shortrange transceiver 106 would also be capable of communicating in theopposite direction, receiving information via the NFC link from theuniversal card 110 and sending that information via the Bluetooth linkto the mobile device 100. One example of a two-type transceiver is aMyMax sticker produced and sold by TwinLinx of France. The MyMax stickercan be attached to the housing of a Bluetooth-enabled device, cancommunicate with the device via a Bluetooth connection, and cancommunicate via an NFC connection with an NFC-enable device.

Also depicted in FIG. 1 is a universal card 110. The universal card 110may include components such as a display 112, a power source 113, aprocessor 114, and memory 115. Each of those components are similar infunction to the corresponding components of the mobile device 100,except that the component of the universal card 110 may be physicallyconfigured differently so as to fit in the shape of the universal card110. For example, the display 112 of the universal card 110 may beintegrated into universal card 110 via hot lamination processes andstandard inlay constructs so that the universal card 110 will be theapproximate shape and size of a traditional credit card and generallycompliant with ISO 7810 standards.

The universal card 110 may also include a dynamic magnetic stripe 111which can be configured to emulate the magnetic stripe of anytraditional card. The standard magnetic stripe format is defined byISO/IEC 7810:2003, and its extensions, including ISO/IEC 7811-1:2002through ISO/IEC 7811-9:2008, and ISO/IEC 7813:2006, each of which arehereby incorporated by reference. Traditional magnetic stripes include aseries of tiny bar magnets which can be magnetized in either a north- orsouth-pole direction. When the polarity of the bars aligns in the samedirection, the card is blank. To write data to the card, the polarity ofa bar is reversed so that the north pole is facing the north pole of theadjacent bar (N-N) or the south pole is facing the south pole (S-S).This causes a change in the magnetic field that can be detected by acard reader. The two possible flux reversals, N-N or S-S, can representtwo different information states, which corresponds nicely to the binarysystem (ones and zeros) used by computers.

Magnetic stripes have three standard track layouts: Track 1, Track 2,and Track 3. Referring to FIG. 2, depicted is a traditional card 201with a static magnetic stripe 202. The static magnetic stripe includeseach of Tracks 1, 2, and 3, shown as 203, 204, and 205, respectively.Each of the track layouts are 0.110 inches high. Track 1 has 210 bitsper inch (bpi) with room for 79 characters of 7 bits each (6 data bits,plus 1 parity bit). Track 2 has 75 bpi with room for 40 characters of 5bits each (4 data bits, plus 1 parity bit). Track 3 has 210 bpi withroom for 107 numeric digits. Tracks 1 and 2 have a standard for the datacontent contained in each track. Those standards are shown in Tables 1and 2 below. In contrast, Track 3 does not have a standard for the datacontent in the track, and can be used for proprietary data formats.

TABLE 1 Standard Track 1 Data Content in Magnetic Stripe of FinancialCards Data Field Content of Data Field Start sentinel 1 byte (the %character) Format code 1 byte alpha (“A” is reserved for proprietary useof the card issuer; “B” is a standard for financial institutions;“C”-“M” are reserved for use by ANSI; and “N”-“Z” are available for useby individual card issuers) Primary Account Up to 19 characters numberSeparator 1 byte (the {circumflex over ( )} character) Country code 3bytes (optional) Surname Variable number of bytes Surname separator 1byte (the/character) First name or initial Variable number of bytesSpace 1 byte (used only when more data follows the first name orinitial) Middle name or Variable number of bytes initial Period 1 byte(the . character; used only when followed by a title) Title Variablenumber of bytes (optional) Separator 1 byte (the {circumflex over ( )}character) Expiration date or 4 bytes (YYMM format), or a 1-byteseparator if separator non-expiring card Discretionary data Variablenumber of bytes (optional; can be used by the card issuer) End sentinel1 byte (the ? character) Longitudinal 1 byte redundancy check

TABLE 2 Standard Track 2 Data Content in Magnetic Stripe of FinancialCards Data Field Content of Data Field Start sentinel 1 byte (the ;character) Primary account number Up to 19 bytes Separator 1 byte (the =character) Country code 3 bytes (optional) Expiration date or separator4 bytes (YYMM format), or a 1-byte separator if non-expiring cardDiscretionary data Variable number of bytes (optional; can be used bythe card issuer) End sentinel 1 byte (the ? character) Longitudinalredundancy check 1 byte

Traditional financial cards from the banking industry, such as creditcards and debit cards, typically use both Tracks 1 and 2, with Track 2using format code “A” or “B”. Some traditional credit and debit cards donot have Track 3 physically present on the cards as its data is notnecessary for the cards' use. Eliminating Track 3 can reduce thephysical size of the magnetic stripe. Traditional financial cardsusually include all of the data listed in Tables 1 and 2.

Traditional gift cards typically use Track 2 with format code “B”. Thosecards usually have a unique account number, but usually do not containthe name of the user in the track. Some traditional gift cards caninclude the amount available at the time of the original purchase in themagnetic track, and some will store the current balance on the card sothat the card can be used at any terminal. However, most traditionalgift cards do not have any value data stored on the card; the cardmerely stores the unique account number, and each terminal at the storeis connected to a database, where the value of the card is associatedwith the unique account number.

Traditional loyalty cards typically use Track 2 with format code “B”.Like traditional gift cards, traditional loyalty cards typically includeonly a unique account number without storing any data about the user orany monetary value associated with the card. Most terminals which acceptloyalty cards are connected to a central database which associates dataabout the user with the unique account number. Some traditional loyaltycards also include a barcode printed on the face of the card so that thecard can be read by a barcode scanner. The barcode is representative ofthe unique account number of the user, and typically has no other dataencoded in the barcode itself.

Many driver's licenses issued in the United States have a magneticstripe on them. Driver's licenses typically include Tracks 1, 2, and 3.The data content of Tracks 1 and 2 are shown in Table 3. The datacontent of Track 3 is not entirely standardized, but Track 3 typicallyincludes at least some of the following data categories: templatenumber, security number, postal code, class, restrictions, endorsements,sex, height, weight, hair color, eye color, ID number, error correction,and security field.

TABLE 3 Standard Track 1 and Track 2 Data Content of US Driver'sLicenses Content of Data Field Track 1 Data Fields Start sentinel 1character (usually the % character) State or province 2 characters CityUp to 13 characters (variable length) Field separator 1 character(usually the {circumflex over ( )} character), unless the City field ismaxed out Last name Variable length Field separator 1 character (usuallythe $ character) First name Variable length Field separator 1 character(usually the $ character) First name Variable length Field separator 1character (usually the {circumflex over ( )} character) Home addressVariable length (usually house number and street) Field separator 1character (usually the {circumflex over ( )} character) Discretionarydata Variable length Start sentinel 1 character (usually the {circumflexover ( )} character) Track 2 Data Fields ISO issuer ID 6 charactersnumber License/ID number 8 characters Field separator 1 character(usually the = character) Expiration date 4 characters (usually YYMMformat) Birth date 8 characters (usually YYYYMMDD format) License/IDnumber Variable length overflow

Traditional access cards are used to provide access to the card holderto a building or other secure area. Traditional access cards typicallyuse either a magnetic stripe or a radio transmitter to conveyinformation to a terminal. When using a magnetic stripe, the dataencoded on the magnetic stripe typically includes the user's name, an IDnumber associated with the user, and an access level relating to whereand when the user is allowed access. When using a radio transmitter, theaccess card typically only includes an ID number associated with theuser, and the access terminal is connected to a database which containsinformation about the user and the access level based on the ID number.Radio transmitters in access cards can either be “active” radiotransmitters (powered by a power source on the card), or “passive” radiotransmitters (powered by the radio receiver in the terminal when thecard is brought into close proximity with the terminal).

Referring back to FIG. 1, universal card 110 can also include a radiocommunications apparatus 117 to emulate an access card which uses aradio communications apparatus. Radio communications apparatus 117 caneither be a passive radio transmitter, or an active radio transmitterpowered by power source 113. The ID number transmitted by the radiocommunications apparatus 117 can be programmed so that the universalcard can programmed to emulate different traditional access cards. Whenprogramming the universal card 110 to emulate an access card, it may bedesirable to verify the identity of the user prior to programming theuniversal card 110. Examples of user verification are discussed below.

Other types of traditional cards exist and can be emulated by universalcard 110. Examples of dynamic magnetic stripes are shown in US PatentApplication Publication 2005/0194452, applied for by Nordentoft et al,and 2007/0189581, applied for by Nordentoft et al. In these examples,individually inducible transducer coils are positioned within auniversal card and are configurable to emulate the static magnets in atraditional magnetic stripe. The dynamic magnetic stripe 111 of theuniversal card can be configured to emulate any traditional staticmagnetic stripe, including any data or data format used by a staticmagnetic stripe. Thus, even if a data content format is not discussedhere, dynamic magnetic stripe 111 would be capable of emulating the datacontent format not discussed here.

Universal card 110 may include a biometric security device 118, such asa fingerprint reader, a microphone for voice identification, or otherdevice for input during biometric identification. The use of suchbiometric identification for security is discussed below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, depicted is a flowchart process for programminga universal card. To initiate power on the universal card (UC) the usermay be required to take an action that may include pushing a button oncard to turn it “on”, is tapped 301, or any other similar technique. Theuniversal card's power is verified 302. If the power is not on, the userwill repeat the action to initiate power 301 on the universal cardagain. If the power is on, the universal card and the mobile device arepaired 303, establishing the short range communication link 120 (asshown in FIG. 1). The pairing is verified 304, with the pairing 303attempted again if the pairing is not successful. Once paired, ane-wallet application on the mobile device is automatically launched 305.If the e-wallet application is not automatically launched 306, it can bemanually launched 307 on the mobile device.

Before allowing access to view, change or modify the financial dataassociated with the e-wallet program 105 on the mobile device 100 or onthe universal card 110, the user must first be authenticated 308.Authentication can take a number of forms. One form of authenticationcan be verification of something that the user has in their possession.In this context, one security feature could be that the mobile device100 can only be paired with one universal card 110, and the universalcard 110 will only pair to one mobile device 100. For example, if auser's mobile device 100 is lost or stolen, the universal card 110 willnot pair with any other mobile device. Thus, any personal cardinformation stored on the universal card 110 will not be accessible byanother mobile device.

Another form of user authentication can be verification of somethingthat the user knows. This can be a personal identification number (PIN),a unique identification of the user (such as a social security number),a fact about the user (such as the maiden name of the user's mother), apassword, or anything else that the user can input. Yet another form ofuser authentication is something about the user. This can include afingerprint, a voice identification, or other verifiable biometric.

While each of these forms of authentication can alone authenticate theuser, it may be desirable to require at least two forms ofauthentication to ensure increased security. For example, the mobiledevice 100 and the universal card 110 may authenticate each other asbeing paired; however, this fact alone does not ensure that the personoperating the devices is the authentic user. In this case, it may beadvantageous to require the user to enter a password to verify that theuser is authentic. In some instances, the issuer of the card may imposeadditional requirement depending on the circumstances that the card isbeing used. For example, if the card is being used to make a paymentover a certain value, if the card is being used in a foreign country, orif the card issuer has reason to suspect that the use of the card isunauthorized, the issuer may require another level of authentication. Inthis case, if the initial authentication included pairing authenticationand a user password, the issuer may require an additional biometricauthentication.

Any user input required for authentication can be entered into eitherthe universal card 110 or the mobile device 100. The universal card 110may have a user interface (not shown), an optional biometric securitydevice 118, or other input mechanism which allows the user to input therequired value. Similarly the mobile device 100 may have a userinterface 104, an optional biometric security device (not shown), orother input mechanism.

Once the user authentication 308 occurs (e.g., a password is entered),the authentication is verified 309 (the entered password is verified).If the authentication was not successful, user authentication 308 can beattempted again. If the authentication is successful, the user isprompted to select 310 an action for programming the universal card.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, it should be clear to a person skilled inthe art that radio interfaces 120, 410, 430, 450, 510, and 520 may besubject to eavesdropping or other intrusive information breaches can beprotected by data encryption technologies public key, private key andother known and standard methods of radio protection.

The universal card can be programmed in many ways, including threedistinct modes. First, the universal card can be programmed in a “dummycard” mode, where the universal card does not itself store any of theinformation required for emulation of a traditional card. In this case,the user must use the mobile device to program the universal card foreach use of the card. Once the universal card is used once asprogrammed, it would not retain that programmed setting, and it wouldrequire re-programming if it were to be used again. Second, theuniversal card can be programmed in a “temporary card” mode, where theuniversal card stores only one set of information required foremulation. The user utilizes the mobile device to program the card toemulate a specific card either for a set amount of time or number oftransactions. Once programmed in this mode, the universal card wouldremain programmed to emulate that one card for the set time or thenumber of transactions. If the user wanted to change the universal cardto emulate a different card, the user would need to reconnect the mobiledevice to reprogram the card. Third, the universal card can beprogrammed in a “default card” mode, where the universal card alwaysemulates a specific card, unless programmed otherwise. In this mode, theinformation of the default card is saved in the universal card and theuniversal card is always configured to emulate the default card, unlessthe user re-programs the universal card to temporarily act as anothercard or to change to a new default card.

It may also be possible to program the universal card in different modesfor the various ways in which the universal card can be used. Forexample, a universal card which has both a dynamic magnetic stripe andan NFC transceiver can be used to interface with both magnetic stripereaders and NFC-equipped terminals. The user may use the universal cardas a public transportation pass which makes fare payments to anNFC-equipped terminal, and as a credit card with a magnetic stripereader. In such a case the user may program the NFC transceiver tooperate in a “default card” mode, always capable of emulating the publictransportation pass, but program the dynamic magnetic stripe in a “dummycard” mode where the user must program the universal card with aspecific credit card to emulate before each transaction.

Once the user selects 310 an action for programming, the data requiredfor the programming action is determined 311. In order for the universalcard to be programmed to emulate a magnetic stripe of a payment card,the universal card would need all the data required to be in the dynamicrequired stripe. The data could include all the information needed tofill Track 1 and Track 2, as discussed above and shown in Tables 1 and2. The required data may be stored on the mobile device, the universalcard, or a remote location such as a trusted service manager. If it isdetermined 312 that the required data is not available, the user isprompted to select 310 another action for programming.

If the required data is available, the universal card is programmed 314to emulate the selected card with the required data. If the requireddata is stored only on the mobile device, the programming 314 willinclude transmitting the required data to the universal card via theshort range communication link. If the required data is stored on theuniversal card, the programming 314 need only include configuring theappropriate device (e.g., dynamic magnetic stripe, short rangetransceiver, radio transmitter, etc) properly for emulation.

Referring to FIG. 4, depicted are interactions between the mobile device100 and the universal card 110, and between the universal card 110 andthree different types of terminals 400, 420, and 440. As discussedabove, the mobile device 100 communicates with the universal card 110via a short range communications link 120 to program the universal card110 for emulation of traditional cards. The universal card 110, in turn,can communicate with terminals 400, 420, and 440 in a number of ways. Itis important to note that, once universal card 110 is programmed, theshort range communications link 120 between the mobile device 100 andthe universal card 110 need not be established for the universal card110 to interact with the terminals 400, 420, and 440.

Terminal 400 is equipped with a magnetic stripe reader 401 which canread the dynamic magnetic stripe 111 of the universal card 110 when itis swiped 410 through the magnetic stripe reader 401. The magneticstripe reader 401 can read any of the data written to the dynamicmagnetic stripe 111. Terminal 420 is equipped with a short rangetransceiver 421 which can establish a short range communication link 430between the universal card 110 and the terminal 420. Any required datacan be transmitted from the universal card 110 to the terminal 420 viathe short range communication link 430. Terminal 440 is equipped with aradio receiver 241 which can receive data sent from the radiotransmitter 117 of the universal card 110. Any required data can betransmitted from the universal card 110 to the terminal 440 via theradio link 450.

One potential problem with the e-wallet software 105 on the mobiledevice 100 is that large amounts of information may need to be inputtedinto the e-wallet software 105. The user interface 104 may not beconvenient for entry of the large amounts of information. Also,management of the information in the e-wallet software 105 may also notbe convenient via the user interface 104. To address this issue, apersonal computer 500 can be used.

Referring to FIG. 5, depicted is an exemplary system including thepersonal computer 500, the mobile device 100, and the universal card110. The personal computer can include a processor 501, memory 502, apower source 503, a user interface 504, the e-wallet software 505, and acommunications port 506. The processor 501, memory 502, power source503, and user interface 504 are all similar in function to thecorresponding components of the mobile device 100, as discussed above.The e-wallet software 505 can be the same or similar to e-walletsoftware 105 of the mobile device 110. The user may enter data andmanage the card data in e-wallet software 505 in the same way the userwould use e-wallet software 105.

When the user enters data or makes changes in the management of e-walletsoftware 505, the e-wallet software 105 on the mobile device 100 must beupdated to reflect the new and/or changed data. In order to make theseupdates, a communication link 510 can be established between thecommunication port 506 of the personal computer 500 and thecommunication port 107 of the mobile device 100. The communication link510 can be any type of wired or wireless link, including a serial cable,a wired or wireless local area network (LAN), a wired or wireless widearea network (WAN), a short range communication link, a radio link, orany similar connection. Alternatively, a communication link 520 can beestablished between a short range transceiver 507 of the personalcomputer 500 and the short range transceiver 106 of the mobile device100.

Once a communication link is established between the personal computer500 and the mobile device 100, the data in e-wallet software 505 and thee-wallet software 105 can be synchronized. It is important to note thatthe short range communication link 120 between the universal card 110and the mobile device 100 need not be active for the link 510 or thelink 520 to be established between the personal computer 500 and themobile device 100.

Referring to FIG. 6, depicted is a flowchart process for managinguniversal card data using mobile device 100. The e-wallet software islaunched 601 on the mobile device. Before the user is given access tothe e-wallet software, the user must first login and be authenticated602. Authentication here can be the same or similar to the forms ofauthentication discussed above. A determination is made whether theauthentication is successful 603. If not successful, the user isprompted to login and authenticate 602 again. If the authentication issuccessful, the user is allowed to control 604 the e-wallet software auser interface of the mobile device.

The control 604 of the e-wallet software includes anything that the usermay need to do to prepare for programming the universal card or toprogram the universal card. The user can enter data associated with atraditional card or with a financial account. The user can manage theentered data such as by naming a particular account or traditional card,setting a default card, or any other management action needed.

After the user enters data, the data is verified 605. The verificationcan include determining whether sufficient data has been entered foremulation of a traditional card, or whether the data entered matches thedata of the card issuer. If the data is not verified, the user isallowed to reenter data 604. If the data is verified, the data isencrypted 606 for storage. Encrypting the data for storage is anotherform of security, as someone that gains access to the encrypted datacannot recover the entered data without knowing how to decrypt theencrypted data. After the data is encrypted, the encrypted data can bestored 607 to the mobile device.

A determination 608 is made as to whether the encrypted data should beuploaded to the personal computer. If the encrypted data will not beuploaded, no further action is required. If the encrypted data will beuploaded to the personal computer, the communication connection betweenthe mobile device and the personal computer is either established orchecked 609. If the connection to the computer is not verified 610,another attempt to establish 609 the connection can be attempted. Oncethe connection to the computer is verified 610, the encrypted data canbe uploaded and saved 611 to the personal computer.

Referring to FIG. 7, depicted is a flowchart process for managinguniversal card data using personal computer 500. Many of the steps aresimilar to those depicted in FIG. 6. The PC version of the e-walletsoftware is launched 701. The user goes through login and authentication702 which is verified 703. Once the user authentication is verified, theuser can control 704 the e-wallet software via a user interface of thepersonal computer. The control on the personal computer is the same asthe control on the mobile device, except that the user may prefer to usethe user interface of the personal computer to the user interface of themobile device.

Data entered on the personal computer can be verified 705. Onceverified, the data is encrypted 706 for storage. The encrypted data isstored 707 on the personal computer. A determination 708 is made as towhether the encrypted data should be uploaded to the mobile. If theencrypted data will not be uploaded to the mobile device, the no furtheraction is required. If the encrypted data will be uploaded, thecommunication connection between the mobile device and the personalcomputer is either established or checked 709. If the connection to thecomputer is not verified 710, another attempt to establish 709 theconnection can be attempted. Once the connection to the computer isverified 710, the encrypted data can be uploaded and saved 711 to themobile device.

The visible sides of a universal card may be designed in a number ofways to provide a user with access to information or components of theuniversal card. FIG. 8A depicts one design of the front of a universalcard 800. The front of the universal card 800 can have a brand area 801which can be used to identify the brand of the universal card issuer,the brand of a wireless carrier, the brand of a sponsor, any otherbrand, or any combination of those brands. The front of the universalcard 800 can have the name of the card holder 802 on the face of thecard to identify the user. The front of the universal card 800 can alsohave a display 803 which could be used at various times to display anaccount number, an expiration date, a card issuer logo, any otherinformation, or any combination of these types of information. The frontof the universal card 800 could also include a biometric security reader804, such as a fingerprint reader, which is used to authenticate theuser.

FIGS. 8B, 8C, and 8D depict other possible designs for the front of auniversal card. FIG. 8B depicts the front of a universal card 810 whichis similar to the front of universal card 800, including a brand area811, the name of the card holder 812, a display 813, and a biometricsecurity reader 814. The front of the front of the universal card 810can also have an EMV chip 815 which is a required component of cards insome markets including some European markets. FIG. 8C depicts the frontof a universal card 820 which is similar to the front of universal card800, including a brand area 821, the name of the card holder 822, and abiometric security reader 824; however, the front of universal card 820does not include a display. FIG. 8B depicts the front of a universalcard 830 which similar to the front of universal card 800, including abrand area 831, the name of the card holder 832, a display 833, and abiometric security reader 834. The front of universal card 830 alsoshows that the name of the card holder 832 and the display 833 can belocated in various locations on the front of a universal card.

FIG. 9 depicts one design of the back of a universal card 900. The backof universal card 900 can include a dynamic magnetic stripe 901 forinteracting with a terminal, a signature area 902 which displays thesignature of the card holder, and a brand area 903. Similar to the brandarea 801 described above, brand area 903 can be used to identify thebrand of the universal card issuer, the brand of a wireless carrier, thebrand of a sponsor, any other brand, or any combination of those brands.

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict an embodiment of a universal integrated circuitcard. In general, an integrated circuit card (also sometimes referred toas a “contact card,” an “IC card,” a “chip and PIN card,” an “EMV card,”and so forth) is a card that has an embedded integrated circuit and canbe authenticated automatically using a PIN. To reduce fraud, banks andretailers are replacing traditional magnetic stripe equipment withintegrated circuit cards. When a customer wishes to pay for goods usingthis system, the card is placed into a “PIN pad” terminal or a modifiedswipe-card reader, which accesses the chip on the card. Once the cardhas been verified as authentic, the customer enters a PIN, which issubmitted to the chip on the integrated circuit cards. The chip verifieswhether the PIN is correct and replies accordingly to the terminal.Integrated circuit cards have been effective to significantly cutcard-present (face-to-face) fraud.

The EMV standard is one standard that has been developed for integratedcircuit cards; the EMV standard defines the physical, electrical, data,and application interactions between an integrated circuit card and theterminal. As mentioned above, an EMV chip is a required component ofcards in some markets including some European markets. Other forms ofintegrated circuit cards, such as the Chip and PIN system, are used inother markets.

Increasingly it is becoming important for US citizens to have a cardwith both a magnetic stripe and an integrated circuit, so that when aperson is traveling internationally it is easier for them to pay with aUS credit card. In many countries, merchants reject credit cards withonly a magnetic stripe. Thus, in order for a universal card to be usableworld-wide, it must also include an integrated circuit. One difficultywith including an embedded integrated circuit with a universal card isthat the integrated circuit can be associated only with a single creditor debit card.

Referring back to FIGS. 10A and 10B depict an embodiment of a universalintegrated circuit card 1000. The universal integrated circuit card 1000has a front 1010 that can include an EMV chip 1011. The front of thecard 1010 can also include features such as the card holder's name 1012,a display 1013, and a brand area 1014. The universal integrated circuitcard 1000 also has a back 1020 that can include a dynamic magneticstripe 1021. The back of the card 1020 can also include features such asa signature area 1022 and a brand area 1023. The universal integratedcircuit card 1000 can include any or all of the features described abovewith respect to universal card 110. Thus, the universal integratedcircuit card 1000 can communicate with a mobile device be programmed toemulate traditional magnetic stripe cards using the dynamic magneticstripe 1021, and the universal integrated circuit card 1000 can interactwith point-of-sale terminals that include magnetic stripe readers, shortrange transceivers, radio communication apparatuses, and the like. Inaddition, the EMV chip 1011 of universal integrated circuit card 1000can be associated with a default credit or debit card. In thisconfiguration, the universal integrated circuit card 1000 can be usedwith the default credit or debit card associated with the EMV chip 1011at any terminal that requires an EMV chip and the universal integratedcircuit card 1000 can be used to emulate any other card using thedynamic magnetic stripe 1021, a short range transceiver (not shown), aradio communication apparatus (not shown), or similar communicationmechanism.

When a user orders or otherwise obtains a universal card 1000, the usercan select or order a universal card 1000 that has an EMV chip 1011associated with a particular default credit or debit card. The defaultcredit or debit card associated with the EMV chip 1011 can be the sameor different from a default card associated with the dynamic magneticstripe 1021. For example, the user may have a VISA credit card that isthe default card for the dynamic magnetic stripe 1021 and the same VISAcredit card may be the default card associated with the EMV chip 1011.In this example, the user is accessing the same VISA credit card whetherthe transaction uses the EMV chip 1011 or whether the transaction usesthe default card associated with the dynamic magnetic stripe 1021. Inanother example, the user may have a DISCOVER credit card that is thedefault card for the dynamic magnetic stripe 1021 and the user may havea MASTERCARD credit card that may be the default card associated withthe EMV chip 1011. This example may be ideal for a user who lives in theUnited States and frequently wants to use the DISCOVER credit card forpurchases at magnetic swipe terminals in the United States, but alsofrequently travels to Europe and wants to use the MASTERCARD credit cardfor purchases at EMV terminals in Europe. In either example, while theEMV chip may not be dynamically programmable, the universal integratedcircuit card 1000 would still be programmable to emulate other cards,such as an AMERICAN EXPRESS credit card, using the dynamic magneticstripe 1021, a short range transceiver, or a radio communicationapparatus.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, depicted is another embodiment of auniversal card 1100. The universal card 1100 has a front 1110 that canoptionally include a card holder's name 1111, a display 1112, and abrand area 1113. The universal card 1100 also has a back 1120 that caninclude a dynamic magnetic stripe 1121. The back of the card 1120 canalso include features such as a signature area 1122 and a brand area1123. The universal integrated circuit card 1100 can also include asecure element 1130, which can be located on the front, the back, or inthe interior of universal integrated circuit card 1100.

A secure element 1130 is a tamper-proof smart card chip capable ofembedding smart card grade applications, such as bank cards, creditcards, transportation cards, and the like, with the level of securityrequired by financial institutions. Secure elements have been includedin some computing devices, such as smart phones, as an independent partof the computing system which stores data associated with traditionalcards and runs any software applications that use the traditional carddata. Card issuers typically require this independent secure element tobe in the computing device to ensure the security of the traditionalcard data and to protect against fraud. This requirement puts alimitation on developers and distributors of software application thatuse traditional card data because the ability to use such softwareapplications is limited to computing devices which have secure elements.For example, a software developer may create a software application thatruns in a cell phone operating system, such as the ANDROID operatingsystem. The ANDROID operating system is available for use on a widevariety of cell phone models, only a few of which have secure elementhardware. Thus, the software application will be limited to use on onlythose cell phone models that have a secure element and cannot be used onANDROID cell phones that do not have a secure element.

In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the universal card 1100includes a secure element 1130 in the card. The universal card 1100 cancommunicate with any computing device, regardless of whether thecomputing device has a secure element. In the case where the universalcard is in communication with a cell phone that does not have a secureelement, the universal card 1100 can make secure element 1130 availablefor use by the cell phone. Thus, a user will be able to use softwareapplications on the cell phone that require a secure element byutilizing the secure element 1130 of the universal card 1100 while thecell phone is in communication with the universal card 1100.Furthermore, the user can enter traditional card information into thecell phone while the cell phone is in communication with the universalcard 1100, the traditional card data can be communicated to the secureelement 1130 of the universal card 1100 for storage, and the cell phonecan later access the traditional card data in the secure element 1130 ofthe universal card 1100 in the same or a later communication session.Including a secure element 1130 in universal card 1100 solves the issuesassociated with computing devices that do not have a secure element. Inaddition, including a secure element 1130 in universal card 1100 allowsbanks and card issuers to have greater control of the use of secureelements. Currently, when mobile device manufacturers include secureelements in mobile devices, banks and card issuers must negotiate withthe manufacturers to be able to have access to and use of the secureelement. However, moving the secure element to a universal card 1100which is under control of the bank or card issuer eliminates the needfor the bank to negotiate with the manufacturer of a mobile device tohave access to a secure element regardless of whether the mobile devicealso has a secure element.

Referring now to FIGS. 12A and 12B, depicted is another embodiment of auniversal card 1200 having a secure element and an EMV chip. Theuniversal card 1200 has a front 1210 that can optionally include a cardholder's name 1211, a display 1212, and EMV chip 1213, and a brand area1214. The universal card 1200 also has a back 1220 that can include adynamic magnetic stripe 1221. The back of the card 1220 can also includefeatures such as a signature area 1222 and a brand area 1223. Theuniversal integrated circuit card 1200 can also include a secure element1230.

Referring now to FIG. 13, depicted is an embodiment of a universal card1300 with a power indicator 1310. The power indicator 1310 indicates tothe user that the universal card 1300 is ready to be used in atransaction. The power indicator 1310 can indicate that the universalcard 1300 can be used with either or both of a magnetic stripe readerand a contactless payment terminal. The power indicator 1310 can be anyvisual indicator, such as an LED light, a color indicator, and the like.In the embodiment of an LED light, the LED light can be illuminated whenthe card is active (i.e., ready to emulate a traditional card as eitheror both of a magnetic swipe card or a contactless payment card) and theLED light can be off when the card is inactive. A power indicator 1310on universal card 1300 can replace the need for the universal card 1310to have a display, thereby reducing the overall cost to make and sellthe universal card 1310. As depicted in FIG. 13, the power indicator1310 can be located on a front 1320 of universal card 1300. Optionally,the front 1320 of universal card 1300 can also include the card holder'sname 1321 and a brand area 1322. In another embodiment not depicted inFIG. 13, a power indicator can be located on a back of universal card1300.

One benefit associated with the use of a power indicator 1310 is that acard holder will know that the card is active when attempting to use thecard. As discussed above, a universal card can be programmed to emulatea default card unless programmed otherwise by the card holder. In thissituation, the card holder may assume that the universal card can beused at any moment as the default card. However, the universal card maybe programmed to be inactive when not in use in order to conservebattery power. If the universal card is inactive and there is no powerindicator, the card holder may assume that an inactive card is alwaysactive and attempt to use the inactive universal card as the defaultcard. Having a power indicator 1310 on the universal card 1300 allowsthe user to easily determine whether the universal card 1300 is activeand ready for use.

Referring now to FIG. 14, depicted is an embodiment of a universal card1400 with a switch 1410. The switch 1410 enables the user to activate ordeactivate the universal card 1400. Having a switch 1410 on theuniversal card 1400 eliminates the need for the user to interact with amobile device in communication with the universal card 1400 to activatethe universal card 1400. For example, the universal card 1400 may beprogrammed to emulate a default card unless programmed otherwise by thecard holder. If the card holder simply wants to use the universal card1400 to emulate the default card, the card holder can activate theuniversal card 1400 using the switch 1410 and not have to use a mobiledevice in communication with the universal card 1400 to activate theuniversal card 1400. The switch can be especially useful if the user'smobile device is out of battery power or otherwise malfunctioning. Whenthe universal card 1400 is activated using the switch 1410, theuniversal card 1400 can retrieve the information for the default cardfrom a secure element in universal card 1400. Thus, no exchange ofinformation between a mobile device and universal card 1400 is necessaryto activate universal card 1400 to be the default card using the switch1410.

A bank or card issuer of a universal card may take advantage of thedefault card feature of the universal card. The bank or card issuer mayrequire the consumer to download and use its e-wallet softwareapplication to interface with the universal card. That e-wallet softwaremay require that the default card of the universal card is a defaultcard which is issued by the bank or card issuer. For example, if a bankissues the universal card and requires the consumer to download thebank's e-wallet software, the bank's e-wallet software may allow theconsumer to select only one of the bank's cards, such as a debit cardassociated with the bank or a credit card associated with the bank, asthe default card. In this scenario, each of the default cards associatedwith the universal card, including a default card for an EMV chip, adefault card for a dynamic magnetic stripe, and a default card forcontactless payment, may be a card associated with the bank. Arrangingfor all of the default cards to be associated with the bank is avaluable position for the bank because the easiest way for the consumerto use the universal card is by using the universal card as one of thedefault cards without using a mobile device to change the universal cardto a non-default card.

The switch 1410 can take any number of forms. As depicted in FIG. 14,the switch 1410 could be a button on the exterior of universal card1400, such as on a front 1420 of universal card 1400. Optionally, thefront 1420 of universal card 1400 can also include the card holder'sname 1421 and a brand area 1422. In another embodiment not depicted inFIG. 14, a switch can be located on a back of universal card 1400. Inaddition, the universal card 1400 could include both a switch 1410 and apower indicator (not shown in FIG. 14). This combination would allow thecard holder to activate the universal card 1400 using the switch 1410and visually see that the universal card 1400 has been activated. Inanother form of the switch not depicted in FIG. 14, the switch 1410could be snap switch on the interior of the card. A snap switch candetect bending and/or tapping of the universal card 1400. Using a snapswitch, in order for the card holder to activate the card, the cardholder would slightly bend and/or tap the card until the universal cardis active. In the embodiment of a snap switch, a power indicator on thecard may be particularly helpful so that the card hold knows when thecard has been sufficiently bent and/or tapped to trigger the snapswitch.

Referring now to FIGS. 15A and 15B, depicted are ways to add traditionalcard data to a secure element of a universal card. As shown in FIG. 15A,a card holder can have one or more traditional cards 1510. The user canswipe the one or more traditional cards 1510 through a magnetic stripereader 1520 which reads the traditional card data from the swipedmagnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe reader 1520 is connected to amobile device 1530 which is configured to receive the traditional carddata from the magnetic stripe reader 1520. The connection between themagnetic stripe reader 1520 and the mobile device 1530 may be a wiredconnection or wireless connection. The mobile device 1530 can beconnected to a universal card 1540 which has a secure element 1541 via ashort range communication link. The mobile device 1530 is configured totransmit the traditional card data received from the magnetic stripereader 1520 to the universal card 1540 without storing the traditionalcard data, and the universal card 1540 is configured to store thetraditional card data in the secure element 1541. In one embodiment ofthe connection between the magnetic stripe reader 1520 and the mobiledevice 1530, the magnetic stripe reader 1520 has a headphone connectorwhich is configured to connect to a headphone port of the mobile device1530, and the mobile device 1530 is configured to receive thetraditional card data from the magnetic stripe reader 1520 via theheadphone port.

As shown in FIG. 15B, a computing device 1550 can store traditional carddata in storage 1551. The computing device 1550 can also have aprocessor 1552 and other computing hardware and/or software. Thecomputing device 1550 can be controlled and secured by a bank, by atraditional card issuer, or by another entity. The computing device 1550is connected to a mobile device 1570 via a network 1560. The network1560 can be a wired network, a wireless network, or any combination ofwired and wireless networks, including one or more of the internet, acellular phone network, a wi-fi network, a local area network, a widearea network, and the like. The mobile device 1570 is configured toreceive the traditional card data from the computing device 1550 via thenetwork 1560. The computing device may encrypt the traditional card dataprior to transmission via the network 1560. The mobile device 1570 canbe connected to a universal card 1580 which has a secure element 1581via a short range communication link. The mobile device 1570 isconfigured to transmit the traditional card data received from thecomputing device 1550 to the universal card 1580 without storing thetraditional card data, and the universal card 1580 is configured tostore the traditional card data in the secure element 1581.

Another way that a secure element of a universal card can be loaded withtraditional card data is by the card issuer pre-loading the traditionalcard data on the secure element before the card is given to theconsumer. The card issuer may have information about some or all of theconsumer's traditional cards and can pre-load the secure element of acard with the traditional card data. In one example, the card issuer maybe a bank and the consumer may have a debit card associated with thebank and a credit card associated with the bank. The bank may pre-loadinto the secure element of a universal card traditional card datacorresponding to each of the debit card and the credit card beforesending the universal card to the consumer. When the consumer receivesthe card, the universal card will already be configurable to emulate thedebit card and the credit card. In one embodiment, the bank may alsodesignate one of the debit card and the credit card as the default cardfor the universal card before sending the universal card to theconsumer. In this embodiment, the universal card may be immediatelyavailable to the consumer for use as the default card without having tointerface the universal card with a mobile device. Setting the defaultcard to a traditional card associated with the bank gives the bank thevalued position of having its traditional card be the easiest way forthe consumer to use the universal card.

Referring now to FIG. 15C, depicted is a way to use a universal cardwith a mobile device that includes a secure element. Traditional carddata 1590 can be communicated to a mobile device 1591. The traditionalcard data 1590 can be communicated by swiping traditional card through amagnetic stripe reader which communicates the traditional card data tomobile device 1591, similar to the depiction in FIG. 15A, or traditionalcard data 1590 can be communicated from a computing device to mobiledevice 1591 via a network, similar to the depiction in FIG. 15B. Mobiledevice 1591 can include a secure element 1592 which is configured tosecurely and independently store the traditional card data. The mobiledevice 1591 can be configured to send instructions to a universal card1593 to program the universal card 1593 to emulate a traditional card.The instructions sent from the mobile device 1591 to the universal card1593 can include confidential traditional card data from the secureelement 1592 which is necessary for the universal card 1593 to emulatethe traditional card. The instructions sent from the mobile device 1591to the universal card 1593 can include instructions for the universalcard to emulate either or both of a magnetic stripe of the traditionalcard and a contactless payment form of the traditional card.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a mobile device 100 can be configured tocommunicate with a universal card 110 that has a secure element 119 viaa short range communication link 120. As described above, a secureelement 119 is an independent part of the universal card 110 whichstores data associated with traditional cards and maintains thattraditional card data securely. The mobile device 100 can includee-wallet software 105 that provides a user interface which allows a userto program the universal card 110. In one embodiment, the secure element119 of the universal card 110 stores confidential traditional card dataassociated with a VISA credit card and a DISCOVER credit card. Theconfidential traditional card data in the secure element 119 can includeany information necessary to emulate the VISA credit card and theDISCOVER credit card, such as an account number, a card number, a cardholder's name, an expiration date, a card verification value 2 (CVV2),information stored on the magnetic stripe of the traditional cards, andany other required information. The e-wallet software 105 may not storethe confidential traditional card data because banking requirements maynot permit the confidential traditional card data to be stored on themobile device 100. However, the mobile device 100 may storenon-confidential data for each of the traditional cards. For example,the mobile device 100 may store a nickname associated with eachtraditional card, the last 4 digits of the traditional card number, animage associated with the issuer of each traditional card, and so forth.By storing non-confidential traditional card data in mobile device 100,the e-wallet software 105 can permit the user to select whichtraditional card the universal card 110 shown emulate by displaying someor all of the non-confidential traditional card data. For example, thee-wallet software 105 may display two buttons respectively labeled as“VISA **** **** **** 1234” and “DISCOVER **** **** **** 9876.” The usercan select either of the two traditional credit card options. Inresponse, the mobile device 100 sends a signal to universal card 110indicating that the universal card should emulate the selectedtraditional credit card. In one embodiment, the universal card 110configures both the dynamic magnetic stripe 111 to emulate the magneticstripe of the selected traditional credit card and the short rangetransceiver 116 to emulate the selected traditional credit with acontactless payment terminal. In this manner, the user needs only toselect the desired traditional card using the e-wallet software 105,without having to make a selection of magnetic stripe or contactlesspayment, and the user can use the traditional card with either amagnetic swipe terminal or a contactless payment terminal.

When the universal card 110 is in communication with the mobile device110, the universal card 110 may send notifications back to mobile device100. For example, if a battery in universal card 110 is low, theuniversal card 110 can send a low battery signal to the mobile device100. The mobile device 100 or the e-wallet software 105 can beconfigured to display a warning message to the user. The mobile device100 or the e-wallet software 105 can also be configured to communicateto the issuer of the universal card 110 that the universal card 110needs to be replaced. In another example of a notification, a VISA cardmay have been selected as a default card for the universal card 110, butthe user may have programmed the universal card 110 to emulate aDISCOVER card for a three-hour period and then revert back to thedefault VISA card. This situation may occur when the user is planning tospend several hours at a shopping mall and wants to use the DISCOVERcard while at the mall. At or near the end of the three-hour period, theuniversal card 110 may send a signal to the mobile device that theuniversal card 110 is about to revert back to the default VISA card. Themobile device 100 or the e-wallet software 105 can be configured todisplay a warning message or sound and alarm to the user so that theuser is aware of the reversion back to the VISA card.

One issue with using a mobile device 100 to interface with a universalcard 110, and any confidential data stored in a secured element of theuniversal card, is the need for authentication. Several forms ofauthentication are discussed above. Authentication may also vary basedon the configuration of the mobile device 100. For example, a mobiledevice 100 may be secured such that a user of the mobile device must beauthenticated each time the user unlocks the mobile device 100. In thiscase, the e-wallet software 105 may recognize that the user has alreadybeen authenticated when the mobile device 100 was unlocked, and thee-wallet software 105 may not need to require authentication when theuser initially interfaces with the e-wallet software 105. In anotherexample, a user may be able to unlock the mobile device 100 without anyauthentication. In this case, any person may be able to unlock thedevice and start the e-wallet software 105. Here, the e-wallet software105 may recognize that the user has not been authenticated when themobile device 100 was unlocked, and the e-wallet software 105 mayrequire the user to be authenticated when the user initially interfaceswith the e-wallet software 105.

The issuer of the universal card 110 may have interest in making theuniversal card 110 available for interacting with e-wallet softwarecreated by other individuals or entities. In order to allow suchthird-party software to be created, the issuer may create an applicationprogramming interface (API) or software developer kit (SDK) whichprovides a framework of rules and specifications for interacting withthe universal card 110. The API or SDK can be provided to third partysoftware developers to enable them to create e-wallet softwareapplications that successfully interact with the universal card 110.

The dynamic magnetic stripe 111 of universal card 110 may be used in anumber of ways that are not available to static magnetic stripe cards.As discussed above, magnetic stripe cards have three standard tracklayouts: Track 1, Track 2, and Track 3. Various implementations ofmagnetic stripes have standard fields in certain tracks while leavingother portions of tracks available for other uses. Having a dynamicmagnetic stripe 111 in a universal card 110 allows the non-standardizedportions of the tracks to communicate data to a terminal that cannot becommunicated by a static magnetic stripe of a traditional card. In oneembodiment, a card holder may want to pay with a credit card and use oneor more coupons in the same transaction. In a traditional setting, thecard holder would present physical coupons to a cashier, the cashierwould enter the coupons, and the card holder's traditional card would beswiped for payment. In contrast, an e-wallet application 105 can managedigital coupons for a user. Using the mobile device 100 and e-walletapplication 105, the user can select one or more coupons to be used in atransaction, and a corresponding signal can be communicated to theuniversal card 110. The signal can also include an indication of atraditional card for the universal card 110 to emulate. When universalcard 110 configures the dynamic stripe 111 to emulate a traditional cardmagnetic stripe, the universal card 110 can also include the couponinformation in one of the non-standardized portions of the tracks. Theuniversal card 110 can be swiped in a magnetic stripe reader which isconfigured to identify the data in the non-standardized portions of thetracks. The magnetic stripe reader may apply the coupon to thetransaction prior to charging the transaction to the account associatedwith the traditional card emulated by the universal card 110.

Another example of using the non-standardized portions of the tracksincludes using a dynamic authentication value to authenticate thetransaction. To prevent fraudulent transactions, traditional contactlesscards can generate dynamic data every time they are read. Dynamic datageneration per read provides logical security and inhibits fraudulentreplay of contactless card data that may have been previously read. Forexample, contactless credit, debit and prepaid payment card dataincludes a dynamic card verification number, sometimes referred to“CVC,” “CVV,” or “dynamic CVV,” or transaction certificate (for EMVcards). The dynamic authentication value is unique for everytransaction. One way of the dynamic authentication value to be generatedis using a secret key stored in secured memory of the card, a randomnumber, a transaction counter, and a specific algorithm. Other ways ofgenerating the dynamic authentication value are possible. The dynamicauthentication value is generated dynamically every time a traditionalcontactless card is read for a transaction and the dynamicauthentication value can be authenticated by a payment terminalcontacting the issuer of the card to verify the dynamic authenticationvalue. However, dynamic authentication values cannot be used withtraditional static magnetic stripe cards because the static magneticstripe cannot produce a unique dynamic authentication value each timethe magnetic stripe is swiped for a transaction. The use of a dynamicmagnetic stripe 111 in universal card 110 allows a dynamicauthentication value unique to each transaction to be written to thenon-standardized portions of the tracks. In this manner, a universalcard 110 can generate a dynamic authentication value in the same manneras traditional contactless cards and write the generated dynamicauthentication value to one of the non-standardized portions of thetracks. The universal card 110 can be swiped in a magnetic stripe readerwhich is configured to identify the dynamic authentication value in thenon-standardized portions of the tracks and authenticate the transactionwith the card issuer. In another embodiment, the traditional card mayhave a field on the static magnetic stripe for a CVV value. When theuniversal card is configured to emulate the traditional card thatnormally has a static CVV value field, the universal card may generate adynamic authentication value and write the dynamic authentication valuein the field typically used for the static CVV value. The dynamicauthentication value could have the same format as the static CVV and belocated in the same location that the static CVV field would be locatedin the static magnetic stripe of the traditional card. In this scenario,there would be no need to reconfigure the terminal with the magneticstripe reader because it would already be configured to read a valuefrom the static CVV field location. Using dynamic authentication valueswith traditional magnetic stripe reader terminals allows for the addedsecurity of the dynamic authentication value authentication withoutrequiring terminals to add a contactless payment terminal to themagnetic stripe reader.

When the universal card can be configured to emulate multipletraditional cards, some of issuers of the traditional cards will becapable of authenticating a dynamic authentication value while others ofthe issuers of the traditional cards will only be capable ofauthenticating a static authentication value. The secure element maystore with the traditional card data, an indication as to whether astatic authentication value or a dynamic authentication value should beused when emulating each traditional card.

The above includes descriptions of a mobile device and a universal card.A mobile device can be any computing device, such as a mobile phone, aPersonal Digital Assistants (PDA), an iPod, an MP3 player, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a personal computer and similar mobiledevices. Any of these mobile devices can have short range communicationmechanisms, such as a NFC transceiver or a Bluetooth transceiver, whichpermits the mobile device to communicate with a universal card.

The various techniques described herein may be implemented with hardwareor software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, themethods and apparatus of the disclosed embodiments, or certain aspectsor portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e.,instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes,CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium. Whenthe program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as acomputer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the disclosedembodiments. In the case of program code execution on programmablecomputers, the computer will generally include a processor, a storagemedium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatilememory and/or storage elements), at least one input device and at leastone output device. One or more programs are preferably implemented in ahigh level procedural or object oriented programming language tocommunicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

The foregoing description has set forth various embodiments of theapparatus and methods via the use of diagrams and examples. While thepresent disclosure has been described in connection with the preferredembodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that othersimilar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may bemade to the described embodiment for performing the same function of thepresent disclosure without deviating there from. Therefore, the presentdisclosure should not be limited to any single embodiment, but ratherconstrued in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.Additional features of this disclosure are set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed:
 1. A universal card configured to emulate a traditionalcard when interacting with a terminal, the universal card comprising: ashort range transceiver configured to connect to a mobile computingdevice via a short range wireless communication link and to receiveinstructions for programming the universal card to emulate one of aplurality of traditional cards via the short range communication link,wherein the universal card is configured to determine whether the mobilecomputing device is authorized to communicate with the universal card inresponse to a connection with the mobile computing device via the shortrange wireless communication link, wherein the universal car isconfigured to permit communication between the mobile computing deviceand the universal card only if the mobile computing device is authorizedto communicate with the universal card; a dynamic magnetic stripecapable of emulating a static magnetic stripe of each of the pluralityof traditional cards; and an EMV chip configured to interact with an EMVchip enabled terminal, wherein the EMV chip is associated with a defaulttraditional card of the plurality of traditional cards, wherein the EMVchip complies with the EMV standard; wherein, in response to receiving arequest to emulate one of the plurality of traditional cards from themobile computing device via the short range wireless communication link,the universal card is configured to cause the dynamic magnetic stripe toemulate a static magnetic stripe of the one of the plurality oftraditional cards.
 2. The universal card of claim 1, wherein the shortrange transceiver is either an NFC transceiver or a Bluetoothtransceiver.
 3. The universal card of claim 1, wherein the plurality oftraditional cards comprises the default traditional card.
 4. Theuniversal card of claim 1, further comprising: a second short rangetransceiver, wherein the universal card is configured to emulate the oneof a plurality of traditional cards by configuring the second shortrange transceiver to emulate a short range transmitter of thetraditional card.
 5. The universal card of claim 4, wherein theuniversal card is configured to configure the dynamic magnetic stripe toemulate the static magnetic stripe of the one of the plurality oftraditional cards and to configure the second short range transceiver toemulate the short range transmitter of the traditional card uponreceiving the instructions for programming the universal card to emulatethe one of the plurality of traditional cards.
 6. The universal card ofclaim 1, further comprising: a radio communications apparatus, whereinthe universal card is configured to emulate the one of the plurality oftraditional cards by configuring the radio communications apparatus toemulate a radio communications apparatus of the traditional card.
 7. Theuniversal card of claim 1, further comprising: a secure elementconfigured to store traditional card data received from the computingdevice via the short range communication link.
 8. The universal card ofclaim 7, wherein the computing device comprises an e-wallet applicationconfigured to manage the traditional card data.
 9. The universal card ofclaim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to encrypttraditional card data prior to transmitting the traditional card data tothe universal card.
 10. The universal card of claim 1, wherein a seconddefault traditional card is associated with the dynamic magnetic stripe.11. The universal card of claim 10, wherein the default traditional cardand the second default traditional card are the same traditional card.12. The universal card of claim 1, further comprising: a power indicatorconfigured to indicate whether the universal card is active.
 13. Theuniversal card of claim 1, further comprising: a switch configured toactivate the universal card.
 14. The universal card of claim 13, whereinthe switch is a snap switch.
 15. The universal card of claim 14, furthercomprising: a power indicator configured to indicate whether theuniversal card is active.
 16. The universal card of claim 1, wherein theuniversal card is configured to include coupon information in thedynamic magnetic stripe when the dynamic magnetic stripe is configuredto emulate the static magnetic stripe of the one of the plurality oftraditional cards.
 17. The universal card of claim 1, wherein the shortrange transceiver is further configured to send a warning signal to thecomputing device via the short range communication link.
 18. Theuniversal card of claim 17, wherein the warning signal is indicative ofa power level or indicative of a change in emulation of the one of theplurality of traditional cards by the universal card.
 19. A universalcard configured to emulate a traditional card when interacting with aterminal, the universal card comprising: a short range transceiverconfigured to connect to a mobile computing device via a short rangewireless communication link, wherein the universal card is configured todetermine whether the mobile computing device is authorized tocommunicate with the universal card in response to a connection with themobile computing device via the short range wireless communication link,wherein the universal card is configured to permit communication betweenthe mobile computing device and the universal card only if the mobilecomputing device is authorized to communicate with the universal card; adynamic magnetic stripe capable of emulating a static magnetic stripe ofeach of a plurality of traditional cards; and a secure elementconfigured to store card data received from the mobile computing devicevia the short range wireless communication link, wherein the secureelement is configured to store the card data in accordance with apre-established level of security; wherein, in response to receiving arequest to emulate one of the plurality of traditional cards from themobile computing device via the short range wireless communication link,the universal card is configured to cause the dynamic magnetic stripe toemulate a static magnetic stripe of the one of the plurality oftraditional cards using the card data stored in the secure element. 20.The universal card of claim 19, wherein the short range transceiver iseither an NFC transceiver or a Bluetooth transceiver.
 21. The universalcard of claim 19, wherein a default traditional card is associated withthe dynamic magnetic stripe.
 22. The universal card of claim 21, whereinthe plurality of traditional cards comprises the default traditionalcard.
 23. The universal card of claim 19, further comprising: a secondshort range transceiver, wherein the universal card is configured toemulate the one of the plurality of traditional cards by configuring thesecond short range transceiver to emulate a short range transmitter ofthe traditional card.
 24. The universal card of claim 23, wherein theuniversal card is configured to configure the dynamic magnetic stripe toemulate the static magnetic stripe of the one of the plurality oftraditional cards and to configure the second short range transceiver toemulate the short range transmitter of the traditional card uponreceiving the instructions for programming the universal card to emulatethe one of the plurality of traditional cards.
 25. The universal card ofclaim 19, further comprising: a radio communications apparatus, whereinthe universal card is configured to emulate the one of the plurality oftraditional cards by configuring the radio communications apparatus toemulate a radio communications apparatus of the traditional card. 26.The universal card of claim 19, wherein the computing device comprisesan e-wallet application configured to manage the traditional card data.27. The universal card of claim 19, wherein the computing device isconfigured to encrypt traditional card data prior to transmitting thetraditional card data to the universal card.
 28. The universal card ofclaim 19, further comprising: a power indicator configured to indicatewhether the universal card is active.
 29. The universal card of claim19, further comprising: a switch configured to activate the universalcard.
 30. The universal card of claim 29, wherein the switch is a snapswitch.
 31. The universal card of claim 30, further comprising: a powerindicator configured to indicate whether the universal card is active.32. The universal card of claim 19, wherein the universal card isconfigured to include coupon information in the dynamic magnetic stripewhen the dynamic magnetic stripe is configured to emulate the staticmagnetic stripe of the one of the plurality of traditional cards. 33.The universal card of claim 19, wherein the short range transceiver isfurther configured to send a warning signal to the computing device viathe short range communication link.
 34. The universal card of claim 33,wherein the warning signal is indicative of a power level or indicativeof a change in emulation of the one of the plurality of traditionalcards by the universal card.
 35. A method of using a mobile computingdevice to communicate traditional card data to a universal card, thetraditional card data comprising information about one or moretraditional cards, the method comprising: receiving, by the mobilecomputing device, the traditional card data; establishing a wirelesscommunication link between the mobile computing device and the universalcard, wherein the universal card comprises a secure element configuredto store the traditional card data in accordance with a pre-establishedlevel of security, wherein the universal card is configured to determinewhether the mobile computing device is authorized to communicate withthe universal card in response to a connection with the mobile computingdevice via the wireless communication link, and wherein the universalcard is configured to permit communication between the mobile computingdevice and the universal card only if the mobile computing device isauthorized to communicate with the universal card; and transmitting,from the computing device to the universal card, the traditional carddata, wherein the universal card is configured to store the traditionalcard data in the secure element upon receiving the traditional carddata; wherein, in response to receiving a request to emulate one of aplurality of traditional cards from the mobile computing device via theshort range wireless communication link, the universal card isconfigured to cause a dynamic magnetic stripe of the universal card toemulate a static magnetic stripe of the one of the plurality oftraditional cards using the traditional card data stored in the secureelement.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein receiving the traditionalcard data comprises receiving the traditional card data from a magneticstripe reader.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the magnetic stripereader is connected to a headphone port of the computing device.
 38. Themethod of claim 35, wherein receiving the traditional card datacomprises receiving the traditional card data from a remote computingdevice via a network.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the networkcomprises one or more of a wired connection and a wireless connection.40. The method of claim 35, wherein the computing device is configuredto receive the traditional card data and to transmit the traditionalcard data without storing the traditional card data.
 41. A method ofproviding an authentication value for a particular transaction using auniversal card having a dynamic magnetic stripe with one or more tracks,the method comprising: receiving, from a mobile computing device via ashort range wireless communication link, an indication of a traditionalcard to be emulated by the universal card, wherein the universal card isconfigured to determine whether the mobile computing device isauthorized to communicate with the universal card in response to aconnection with the mobile computing device via the short range wirelesscommunication link, and wherein the universal card is configured topermit communication between the mobile computing device and theuniversal card only if the mobile computing device is authorized tocommunicate with the universal card; configuring the dynamic magneticstripe to emulate a static magnetic stripe of the traditional card bywriting information about the traditional card to at least a firstportion of the one or more tracks; determining, based on the traditionalcard, whether the authentication value is static or dynamic; and writingthe authentication value to at least a second portion of the one or moretracks, wherein the authentication value is a static authenticationvalue associated with the traditional card if the authentication valueis determined to be static, and wherein the authentication value is adynamic authentication value calculated for the particular transactionif the authentication value is determined to be dynamic; wherein theauthentication value written to at least the second portion of the oneor more tracks is readable by a terminal having a magnetic stripe readerduring the particular transaction.
 42. The method of claim 41, whereinthe authentication value is determined to be dynamic, and wherein theauthentication value is calculated based on a key stored in theuniversal card, a random number, and a transaction counter.
 43. Themethod of claim 41, wherein the particular transaction can beauthenticated by the terminal by communicating the authentication valueto an authentication service which is configured to verify that theauthentication value is authentic.
 44. The method of claim 41, whereinthe information about the traditional card and an indication whether theauthentication value is static or dynamic are stored in a secure elementof the universal card.
 45. The method of claim 41, wherein theinformation about the traditional card and an indication whether theauthentication value is static or dynamic are stored in a secure elementof a computing device in communication with the universal card.
 46. Amethod of providing traditional card data to a universal card, thetraditional card data comprising information about one or moretraditional cards, the method comprising: receiving, by a mobilecomputing device, the traditional card data; storing, in a secureelement of the mobile computing device, the traditional card data,wherein the secure element is configured to store the card data inaccordance with a pre- established level of security; establishing awireless communication link between the mobile computing device and theuniversal card, wherein the universal card is configured to determinewhether the mobile computing device is authorized to communicate withthe universal card in response to a connection with the mobile computingdevice via the short range wireless communication link, and wherein theuniversal card is configured to permit communication between the mobilecomputing device and the universal card only if the mobile computingdevice is authorized to communicate with the universal card; andtransmitting, from the mobile computing device to the universal card,instructions to emulate one traditional card of the one or moretraditional cards and transmitting the traditional card data from thesecure element corresponding to the one traditional card; wherein theuniversal card is configured to emulate the one traditional card usingthe traditional card data.
 47. The method of claim 46, wherein theuniversal card comprises a dynamic magnetic stripe and wherein theuniversal card is configured to emulate the one traditional card usingthe traditional card data by the dynamic magnetic stripe emulating astatic magnetic stripe of the one traditional card.
 48. The method ofclaim 46, wherein the communication link is one of an NFC link or aBluetooth link.
 49. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving thetraditional card data comprises receiving the traditional card data froma magnetic stripe reader.
 50. The method of claim 46, wherein receivingthe traditional card data comprises receiving the traditional card datafrom a remote computing device via a network, wherein the networkcomprises one or more of a wired connection and a wireless connection.